Every Startup Cliche Is For Sale

Last year, when an admirer of Facebook's sorta-creepy motivational posters tried to sell his own for zero profit, the social network's resident graphic designer blew his lid, crying ripoff. Today, all the Silicon Valley platitudes you can imagine can be bought on one website.

For just $36, StartupVitamins.com will sell you a 24 by 36-inch "Done Is Better Than Perfect" poster—a "Move Fast And Break Things" coffee mug will set you back only $16. You can buy all 20 in the "Startup Monster Pack" for $575. Fuck it. Ship them. These mostly meaningless sentiments that long predate Facebook have become cultural essentials, as most startup founders worship Zuckerberg's "Hacker Way." There's no better means of appearing like you belong in Silicon Valley than adorning your walls with another company's cliches—StartupVitamins brags that its wares can be found in the offices of Path, Zappos, LinkedIn, and more.

As a bubble expands, it's not comforting to imagine how many budding businesses are looking up from their collective desks, seeing "Fuck It, Ship It" hanging on the wall, and then depositing a VC check for millions of dollars.

The following replies are approved. To see additional replies that are pending approval, click Show Pending. Warning: These may contain graphic material.